For I is Someone Else was an exhibition of work focused on the politics of influence, sharing and appropriation in music. The artist's interest lay in copyright and intellectual property rights, in particular the ideological conflicts between copyright law and appropriation, the growth of sharing and sampling and the evolution of the notion of the 'author'. Freedom of expression, both creative and political, has been affected by restrictive copyright legislation, to the point where this is inhibiting the production of artistic work, thereby counteracting one of the original reasons copyright was initiated.
Connolly presented the argument that art does not exist in a vacuum, every piece of work is influenced by another, and from that point of view looks at practices and modes of resistance that challenge the core concepts of copyright law and the politics behind it. The artists referred to research which considers this as a predominantly cultural issue, one of amplified individualism affecting creativity and copyright law by way of the dismissal of collective and cultural influence.

Her research encompassed the political motivations of musicians ranging from the early nineteenth century through to contemporary times and looks at how the practices of appropriation, sharing and influence, and their political relevance, have developed over time. She responded to this research by developing methods that conflict with the notion of copyright but respond to the timeless notion of sharing. This was to highlight the imbalance of contemporary copyright laws and to present an alternative dialogue in regards to copyright and the restrictions it places on creative freedom.

Connolly’s work focused in particular on the advent of the Internet as a technology that provides, in the main, the opportunity for these ‘balancing’ practices to thrive and effectively addresses the tradition of sharing in relation to creative practices – for example the oral tradition of passing songs, melodies, and narratives down from peer to peer and generation to generation – and how the Internet acts as a highly efficient contemporary equivalent to this long tradition.

Connolly brought all these strands together by producing a solo project comprised of work generated from source material found in the public domain, involving methods of appropriation and with participation of agents involved in practices that challenge copyright. A series of collaborations, performative actions, and events took place within the project space in order to expand upon the intricacies of the conflict between copyright law and appropriation, to delve into the growth of sharing and investigate the history of authorial structures, particularly within a contemporary Irish context.

Event Details

Preview/Performance: Friday 11th October
T-woc DJ set

Lecture: Thursday 17th October
Theft, Property and Culture, was a series of informal presentations by experts working in the fields of art, digital media and law in Ireland.
Participants: Declan Long, Ben Geoghegan, Caroline Campbell and chaired by Mark Cullen
National College of Art and Design, Thomas Street, D8

Workshop: Saturday 19th October
Digital Artist Paul O'Neill—Glitch Art Workshop
Glitch Art Workshop included a lecture that focused on critical moments in the history and development of new media art and technology and a workshop introducing the key techniques used for the production of Glitch Art.

Performance: Friday 25th October
The Fifth Man Debut Performance of
“M7 (Part II)" - Minimalist Composition for 5 or 6 Turntables
The centrepiece of the performance is "M7 (part II)", based around minimalist concepts, particularly the phasing techniques of Reich and the meditative aspects of Terry Riley's work. The performance utilised 5 turntablists and featured several brand new compositions derived from these minimalist methodologies and aesthetics. The performers included some of Ireland's most renowned skratch musicians: Mikey Fingers; Tweek; mynameisjOhn and Dejackulate.

Demonstration: Saturday 25th October
Lecture and Demonstration: Skratch Music - Composition By Juxtaposition by Deviant
This lecture offered a brief history of turntablism and skratch music performance, from block parties in the Bronx in the late 70s to modern, through the explosion of turntablism and battle culture in the late 90s, to contemporary skratch music practices.

Archive of Influence

An Archive of Influence directly responds to the notion that culture is constructed from an intricate system of sharing, influenced in some way or another by what exists and what has come before us: the artist has intentionally included a participatory element in her solo show to signify this as well as to formally address the instances of influence, sharing and sampling in music. Connolly invited individuals whose practice examines and challenges ideas of authorship to create a document, a personal archival file that depicts their respective influences as an artist, musician, and writer.

Archive Contributors

The archive, which the artist intends to develop over time, currently consists of images, music and written files submitted by the following participants:

The Sunken Hum is a year-long sound art project in 365 parts by Natalia Beylis. Everyday in 2013, Natalia records a two minute sound diary audio clip from her life and posts it up online. The sound selection includes domestic noises, field sounds, conversations, musical compositions, performances and any things that passes her ears. The sounds are uploaded everyday to her online blog. 99 percent of the project is under a Creative Commons License and available for free downloads. Audio clips recorded throughout the project have been used as samples by other sound artists in compositions and sound pieces.Natalia has a deep fascination with how people spend their ordinary days – the fragments that make up a person and the role that sound plays in this – and with The Sunken Hum, she is exploring the often overlooked constant background hum that filters through her life.For the archive Natalia has contributes audio clips that she has created alongside pieces that have used samples of these recordings.

T-woc is a Wicklow based music producer & DJ. He makes dubby beats music from other peoples records, analogue synths, found sounds and messing around with various machines that make or manipulate noise. He has releases & remixes on Alphabet Set, All-City, Rudimentary & Original Cultures amongst others and his bag of 45s have landed him behind the decks in many many places T-woc has contributed a photo essay and sound files illustrating what has influenced him in shaping his career and presents this alongside his latest EP Jetstar, released earlier this year.

Tim Kerr is an artist and musician from Austin, Texas. He has co-founded bands such as the Big Boys, who were, according to influential critics, one of the most influential bands of the Texas punk scene, as well as Poison 13, Monkeywrench and several others. Throughout his career he has been involved and influenced by folk music, both as a musician and visual artist. His practice involves sharing and depicting the melodies and political messages of folk and grassroots figures from past and recent history. Tim has contributed a recently recorded melody entitled Your Name Here and a folder of his sketches of his musical influences.

Maureen O’Sullivan is a lecturer in the School of Law at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Some of her research interests include copyright, technology and art. She is pursuing her doctoral studies at Edinburgh University. The provisional title of her thesis is: “Reinventing Patents at the Edge of Reason”.
For the archive Maureen responded by writing a short essay entitled The Legal Juxtaposition of Copyright Law and Music

Carol Anne Connolly has also contributed a sound file entitled The Infringement Mix. This compilation is a mix of original and appropriated music pieces that have been the focus of legal infringement cases over four decades.

If you would like to contribute to ‘An Archive of Influence’ you can do so by contacting the artist: info@carolanneconnolly.com